Michelle R. Benson (born September 11, 1968) is an American accountant, politician, and Republican member of the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are h ...

. She represents District 31, which includes portions of Anoka, Isanti and Sherburne counties in the northern

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

metropolitan area. Benson is the Deputy Majority Leader of the Minnesota Senate.

Early life, education, and career

Benson was raised on a farm near

Murdock, Minnesota Murdock is a rural town in Swift County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 306 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Kerhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (KMS) school district. Murdock has Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Elementary School which i ...

, graduating from Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg High School. In 1991, Benson graduated from St. Catherine University in

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in chemistry. In 1996, Benson received a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

from the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

. Benson, a certified public accountant, previously worked as an auditor and consultant at

Deloitte & Touche Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (), commonly referred to as Deloitte, is an international professional services network headquartered in London, England. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of profession ...

and as executive director of a non-profit

cybersecurity Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, t ...

organization.

Minnesota Senate

In 2010, Benson challenged incumbent Debbie Johnson for the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nomination. Benson won the nomination and subsequently won the election. Benson was re-elected handily in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

and

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

. She currently serves as chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee and is a deputy majority leader. In 2015, she co-sponsored legislation that would allow businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex couples. In 2021, Michelle Benson called into question the ways in which the Minnesota government spent federal COVID-19 relief, dubbing the spending wasteful. On August 31, 2021, Benson announced she was running for Governor of Minnesota. In her announcement, Benson promised to fight back against “radical, leftist policies” regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and promised to deliver a "safer, better, and stronger" Minnesota. Benson campaigning

Personal life

Benson has been a Boy Scout and

Cub Scout Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...

leader, an administrator for a local

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

school, and a member of the local

chambers of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

. Benson and her husband, Craig, live in Ham Lake with their three children.

References

External links

Senator Michelle Benson
''official Minnesota Senate website''
Senator Michelle Benson
''official Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus page''
Project Vote Smart - Senator Michelle Benson Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Michelle 1968 births Living people People from Ham Lake, Minnesota St. Catherine University alumni University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Republican Party Minnesota state senators Women state legislators in Minnesota 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Government accounting officials American women accountants American auditors -